The Innocence Game
by MintChocolateLeaves
Summary: Identified by the police as uniquely gifted, a group of teenagers are given access to cold cases and crime scenes to hone their abilities and solve what the police cannot. After reuniting with her best friend, Kaito, Nakamori Aoko is their newest recruit. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Do I already have my hands full with CoF? Yes._

 _Am I writing this anyway? - Yes. Please enjoy!_

* * *

Against the constant rumble of the police station during the busy changeover of the day and night shifts, Aoko hears her father's voice as clearly as if she was inside his office. She glances at the door, holding the bento she's made for his dinner, waiting until he's free for a second to eat dinner with her.

He's been working a lot of overtime recently, stuck trying to finish paperwork and trying to find petty criminals who've committed thefts of convenient stores and jewellery stores. Unable to make it home until the late hours of the night, Aoko has been taking it upon herself to bring him food during his breaks, simply so she can see his face more often.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I'm very sorry for the bother…" she hears, the tone tired and drawn out, lacking in sleep - she knows it well, is the voice she hears from her father every time she sees him recently. She hears another voice then, one she can't make out and then her father again. "We'll have to wait until forensics gets back to us on that handkerchief."

The door opens, and her eyes meet the red rimmed eyes of her father's. Aoko feels her heart twist in her chest slightly, glancing at the bags under his eyes. Unshaven and dishevelled, he looks older - and extremely exhausted.

"Aoko," he says, as she paces forwards, waiting beside his door so that his guests can leave first. "I'm afraid we might not be able to eat together tonight."

Aoko bites her tongue to avoid any sharp retorts. Up until seven months ago, she wouldn't have minded as much, but since Kaito has disappeared, she's been eating meals alone whenever her father adds extra hours to his shifts.

Her face must show her disappointment, because her father's expression morphs, regret blooming in his eyes, his lips pinched together.

"While we wait for the evidence Inspector," one of her father's colleagues - Aoko is pretty sure he's called Inspector Megure, finds it odd that her father is working with someone from a different division - appears at the door, "Kudo-kun and I will look over the crime scene again and come up with a list of suspects."

Her father and Megure share a look and a short nod. Then behind them a third voice picks up - younger, filled with more spirit that either of the tired detectives.

"I've already got the fundamentals down. We're looking for a male, late forties, possibly early fifties, who owns a Toyota Celica 2000."

Aoko knows she shouldn't stare, but as he comes into view, she does. He looks like he could be Kaito's twin, has the same bone structure - except his jaw is a bit more defined, his hair isn't as messy. His demeanour is different as well, he's calmer almost seems more reserved that Kaito.

"It would have been nice if you'd told us how you got to that deduction," Inspector Megure says as Kudo steps forward, leaving the room behind for the division's offices. "You can tell me in the car. For now, we'll have to search the database for car owners with that type…"

Kudo nods. His gaze meets Aoko's stare, forcing her to look away in embarrassment. She shouldn't be staring - even if he _does_ look like Kaito. In looking down however, she notices a handkerchief falling to the floor, out of Kudo's pocket.

It's bright, baby blue, and Aoko finds herself leaning forwards to retrieve it, calling out 'excuse me' to capture Kudo's attention.

"I'm sorry," she says when he turns back to her. His eyes are blue, like Kaito's, except his seem dull in comparison, less wild, much more focused. "It's just, Aoko noticed you dropped this - and she'd hate for you to lose something so precious."

Behind her, her father and Inspector Megure are saying their goodbyes. It's difficult to take notice of it though, as Kudo's eyes narrowed. His response isn't unkind, but it _is,_ strange. He says, "how did you know it was precious? It's just a handkerchief."

Aoko pauses, takes a moment to think and passes the fabric over.

"Well…" Another pause, "most handkerchiefs are either linen or cotton, because they dry quickly when people dry their hands, right? So, Aoko assumed that since the fabric is rayon, it would have been a gift from someone very special."

"Rayon? I thought this was silk?" Kudo's frown deepens as he glances down at the fabric, and Aoko has the impression that he isn't often wrong, doesn't often find himself in the position of someone who's confused. "How did you know?"

"Uh…" Aoko rubs at her ear, tries to think and comes up short. "…Well… It's heavier than silk is, and it's softer - Viscose rayon fabric usually is? A friend of Aoko's used to always use viscose for his magic tricks, so Aoko knows the texture of it."

Inspector Megure comes up behind Kudo, places a hand on his shoulder and tells him that they're ready to head back to the crime scene. Kudo pulls at the collar of his shirt, nods absentmindedly before glancing down at the fabric again.

"Thanks for telling me about this," Kudo says, "Nakamori-san it helps a lot."

Aoko smiles, "Aoko only did what she thinks is right. She wouldn't want the hard work of the person who gifted the handkerchief to go to waste."

Again, Kudo stills. Aoko doesn't know what she's said, but his lips part slightly, and he lifts the cloth nearer to eyes to inspect it. She watches silently as Inspector Megure mutters something under his breath, about wanting to actually close the case _today._

"What do you mean?"

Confusion spirals through her as Aoko tries to understand why he's so intense over a piece of material, but she answers him anyway. She tells him that they don't sell baby blue handkerchiefs made from that material anymore, and that the person gifting it must have dyed it that colour for him.

She's not sure if it's still that accurate, after all, she only knows about the fabric not being sold in blue because Kaito had been complaining about it before one of his magic shows, and they'd both gone shopping, searching for fiber reactive dyes and white vinegar to properly dye the correct colours. It's nothing impressive, but still Kudo's smile transforms into a grin, as he turns to the inspector.

"It's a lead. I think we can close in on the killer this way."

Aoko doesn't know what he's talking about, and instead of trying to take notice, she lets it go straight over her head. Turning back to her father's office - the door is closed already, and she reckons her dad has shut himself in with all of his paperwork - she readjusts her bag on her shoulder, and the bento boxes she's holding.

"Nakamori-san," Kudo says as she's making her way to the door, "thank you for the information. I'll be sure to tell the owner of this cloth that it was a very intimate gift."

Aoko flushes on her way back to her father's office as she realises that she'd just been talking in depth about a handkerchief that doesn't even belong to him.

* * *

The event goes from her head quickly, just another strange incident in a police station, and Aoko doesn't think of it again. Or rather, she doesn't for two weeks, until her father calls and asks whether she can come down to the station after school has ended for the day.

As soon as she knocks on his office door and lets herself in, she knows that it's related to the other day, mainly because Kudo is there, along with Inspector Megure and another man Aoko hasn't met before. Her father is sat at his desk, looking moderately stressed, and Aoko wants to ask if he is okay, but doesn't, looking at their guests instead.

"Aoko," her father starts, "this is Inspector Megure and Kudo Yuusaku." He waves to each adult in turn. "They've got a proposition for you."

He doesn't look very pleased with the proposition - Aoko wonders what it is - and she notices with some uncertainty that he doesn't introduce Kudo. Knowing her father however, he's probably going to take a step back and let her choose which outcome she likes without asserting any influence over her.

"Yes," Kudo Yuusaku is the one who speaks, "we wanted to talk to you about a programme we thought you might excel at."

Aoko listens to the preposition, but it really doesn't seem like something she'd enjoy. As Yuusaku explains that there is a programme for teenagers particularly gifted at elements of police work, she thinks that they've got the wrong person.

While she doesn't know what she wants to be when she's older, Aoko is certain she doesn't want to be a detective - it's not something she thinks she'd enjoy. Solving crimes has always been something her father has done, and while she's listened to him about the cases he's working on sometimes, she's never wanted to solve any.

"Aoko thinks you've got the wrong person-" Aoko tries, but Yuusaku shakes his head.

"Shinichi was telling me about the conclusion you came up with when you returned evidence from a crime scene to him," _A crime scene? Aoko handled police evidence?_ "And, it was something he'd overlooked. I'm not suggesting that you go into detective work, but you've clearly got an affinity for forensic work."

Frankly, Aoko doesn't think that she has. She only knew about the fabric because of something Kaito had taught her years ago. It doesn't come naturally, not really, had just been something she'd learn after years of being best friends with a magician.

"Aoko really doesn't think-" She pauses, breaks off, "police work isn't exactly Aoko's type of thing. She doesn't think that it's something she'd be good at, or even enjoy…"

Shinichi - she assumes that's what he's called - looks up at that from where he'd been skimming through his phone. He says, "I think you'd fit in with our group… Why not come back with us and take a look around before you decide?"

Uncertain, Aoko accepts. It won't hurt to look around, even if she's pretty certain that she's going to refuse.

* * *

Inspector Megure - apparently he's in charge of picking the cases that the group look into, most of them old cold cases - drives them across town to a large multi-unit building. There are two floors - the bottom has just one entrance, in the middle, whereas the top has four doors, almost like apartment complexes.

"Everyone should be in here," Shinichi says, when the step out of the car. Kudo Yuusaku follows after him, although he'd informed her on the drive over that he only oversees the project, and isn't an active agent in it's practise. "I don't think anyone has anything after school today…"

He leads them inside, and Aoko watches as chaos unfolds.

The first thing she sees is Hakuba Saguru, her classmate, arguing with a darker skinned detective. The two of them are hunched over a counter, an open folder over them, glaring at one another. For some reason, Aoko doesn't find it surprising - Hakuba has always been rigid in his beliefs and has always been prone to arguments because of it.

"No, I'm telling you, the Killer entered through the window." "Oh come o' it. Ya know tha' it was through th' door, don't be an idiot."

Shinichi glances at them, glances at Aoko and says, "they're not the best example… Hattori and Hakuba don't exactly get along. Plus, they haven't caught on to the fact that there was a hidden annex, so it was neither the window nor the door…"

Aoko nods her head, doesn't feel very convinced, and follows him further into the room. There's a side room, and glancing inside, she notices two girls practising martial arts. She watches as one performs a roundhouse kick, only for her foot to get caught by the other, pulling her forward.

"That's Kazuha-chan and Ran," Shinichi says, "they don't exactly solve mysteries here, but they are always great to have whenever a suspect decides to get violent or when they try to run."

She adds to her mental checklist that she probably shouldn't mess with either girl, decides there won't be an opportunity for such a thing to occur, and follows the teen into a final room. It's a sitting room, with three sofas and a tv in the middle of the furthest wall. Half of it seems more like a rec-room, with a pool table and some board games piles in the corner.

A pack of playing cards lay abandoned beside the cue, and Aoko feels tempted to pick them up and shuffle them, just because it's something _Kaito_ had done.

"Oi," Shinichi says, and kicks the side of the middle sofa. Aoko can't see over it, but she can see a pair of feet hanging off the edge, both of them tapping at the air to a rhythm that goes unheard. "Did you listen to those interviews?"

There's a groan, and a hand raises, hand holding a cassette player. Aoko thinks it's strange at first, that there are cassettes, but then she remembers they're solving cold cases and that most of them are years old. Then, she takes a step forward and glances at the hand holding the cassette player.

Usually, she doesn't spend time looking at people's hands - why would she? - but this hand has a scar over the knuckle of the owners pointer finger, and years of watching card tricks has made her remember that scar with such clarity…

"He's lying about his alibi, you can hear it."

It's _his_ voice.

Aoko steps forward, looks over cushions and looks down at the best friend she hasn't heard from in months.

"Kaito?"

* * *

 _The author very much so enjoys comments._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the reviews/follows/favourites!_

 _Updates will come as I finish chapters, not to a schedule. But, I am a pretty quick writer, so they shouldn't ever take more than a week or two. (Also, this is unedited, so many apologies for any mistakes.)_

* * *

"Kaito?"

The words slip from her tongue before she has a moment to think about what she's going to say. Instead of holding back and double checking that this actually _is_ her best friend, Aoko just speaks, hoping that she isn't wrong.

She watches as his eyes widen, cracks appearing on the poker face he's spent years adjusting, and decides that it really is him. She takes a moment to study his face, clean-shaven compared to the slight stubble he's had the last time she'd seen him. He looks well rested, no longer wearing makeup to cover the bags under his eyes - _He'd let her see, Aoko knows that, before he'd left he had let her see the shine of makeup under his eyes._

He looks well. It both warms Aoko and makes her want to punch him in the face.

"A-Aoko?"

Kaito scrambles up on the sofa, pulling himself up so that he's knelt on cushions, staring across at her. His eyes are the way she's remembered, wild - although they look subdued, almost like she's witnessing a lion in a cage. The fact that he hasn't pulled any visible tricks since they've entered the room makes her think that maybe he has been a little _tamed._

Beside them, Shinichi hums. He says, "I take it you two know each other then."

Kaito sends him a fleeting glance, before focusing only on Aoko. His expression is odd, and Aoko isn't sure how to read it exactly, because even when she had daily practise it had been difficult getting a read on him, and she's not seen him in months.

"We do." Kaito says, and he vaults over the sofa, leaning back against it, peering closely at Aoko as if she's changed vastly since he'd last seen her. Aoko doesn't think that she's changed much - but she sees herself everyday, so she's probably the most unlikely person to know about any changes. "We're childhood friends."

Aoko thinks that he should be more excited over seeing her, but she knows she probably cares more for him than he ever did for her. It's something she's known for a long time, and while it doesn't exactly make it easier to bear, it it something she's long since accepted as part of their relationship.

"So this is where Kaito has been hiding?" Aoko says, turning to look at Shinichi instead. Months of wanting to see him again and now she doesn't want the conversation. Doesn't want to ask him why. "Aoko didn't expect that Kaito would ever do detective work."

"I don't - wait, is that why she's here? To join part of your weird detective group?"

Aoko bites at her lip, decides that she's not going to turn to Kaito, and waits for Shinichi to answer his question. The detective crosses his arms, and after a second, he shrugs his shoulders.

"We thought that Nakamori-chan would be a good addition to the team. She's smart and we think she'd be well suited. She's yet to make a decision though."

Kaito lets out a strangled complaint. "Aoko can't become a detective. _She's not allowed."_

Okay - Aoko might not have seen him in a while, and she might not have a mop on hand, but she's not going to deal with Kaito saying what she is and isn't allowed to do. She turns to him, eyes narrowed into a glare, her lips thin as she says, "Idiot, Kaito doesn't get to decide what Aoko is and isn't allowed to do."

He lets out another strangled complaint, but Aoko doesn't listen to it. Instead,

She turns to Shinichi and says that she'll join - and maybe she's doing it more out of spite than want, but she doesn't care. Shinichi gives a smile, more coy than she'd expected, before telling her that they'll have to go tell the Inspector and his father about her decision.

"Let's go then." Aoko says.

She makes her way to the door, and as she walks to the door, she overhears Shinichi say, "if it's any consolation, she's not going to be doing any detective work - just forensic work. We can't all be critics."

Kaito mutters something, but Aoko doesn't listen. She knows it's childish, but there's something about Kaito that makes her bring out her inner-child, and their relationship has always been based on the bridge between childhood and maturity. She'll talk to him, later, she promises herself, once she's thought of the questions she wants to ask him.

"This way," Shinichi says, leading her back to the first room they'd entered.

Thankfully both Saguru and Hattori have stopped bickering, and while Aoko is kind of curious where the darker-skinned teen has gone, she doesn't find herself wanting to ask. Saguru remains however, sitting up at a counter, poured over the case file he'd been arguing about previously.

He glances up at the sound of footsteps, and gives a polite smile.

"Kudo-kun… and Aoko-san?" He pauses, does a double take before tilting his head slightly. "You've been asked to join, no doubt?"

The politeness feels the way it always does: odd but not unwelcome. As much as he can be awkward around others - social interaction has never been his forte - Aoko doesn't find him annoying. There are parts of him that could be deemed irritating, but well, Aoko is pretty sure that she's desensitised to pet-peeves thanks to Kaito.

"Aoko has," she says, "although she was surprised to see that Hakuba-kun is here as well."

From behind her, Shinichi pipes up, "she just accepted, so we were on our way to tell Inspector Megure. She'll be helping us out with forensics."

Saguru inclines his head, and asks, "will you be telling her about Kuroba-kun?"

Aoko turns to Shinichi and watches as he pauses, pulls at the collar of his shirt, deep in thought. It's as if he's speculating, weighing probabilities in his head - which, if the newspapers from years ago are true, isn't unlikely. Then, he says, "I don't see a reason why we shouldn't. The rest of the group know."

It's almost as if they're baiting her to ask. They've got to know that she'll be curious, as detectives they should be able to deduce that about her, should see it in the way she tenses, her gaze flickering between them.

"Tell Aoko what?"

Both of the boys turn to her. She can see nervousness dance across their expressions, can see how Saguru doesn't want to be the one to say it, how Shinichi isn't sure what to say. The latter is the one who steels himself though, readying himself to give her the information she's asking for.

"Kuroba's situation is different to the rest of the group. We're all here because we want to be, whereas he's here as part of a deal with my father."

Aoko isn't sure why she suddenly feels a wave of foreboding rush over her, but she does. It trickles down her spine, cold like ice, leaving her with the impression that she'd be better off not knowing. A deal - why would Kaito need to make a deal? She's never known him to do something he doesn't want to do, and for him to need to make a deal about something…

"The deal," Shinichi continues, "is that if he gives help on cases, that he won't be charged with the offences he's accumulated."

 _Offences?_ It almost sounds as if they think Kaito is some sort of criminal.

Aoko glances at Saguru, notices how he is intensely looking down at the case file he's been looking at previously, trying to avoid eye contact, and realises that he'll be little help in explaining. She doesn't expect him to speak again, then, if they're talking about Kaito being a criminal - he's claimed his guilt before and seen how she'd reacted, and obviously, he doesn't want to do so again.

"Kaito isn't-"

"He is." Shinichi says, and while he's quiet, his tone is firm. "You've heard of Kaitou 1412, I've heard that you're father worked the case."

Aoko tries to take a breath, shudders, and shakes her head. She says, "Kaito is not KID. Aoko doesn't believe that he'd-"

She breaks off at the sympathy in Shinichi's eyes. Or is it pity? Aoko really isn't sure, but it's enough to make her think that he's being serious. It's not enough, however, to make her believe. She needs proof, won't believe until she's given a shred of evidence about her bestfriend's culpability.

Her resolve must show in her eyes, because Shinichi dips his head, nods absentmindedly to himself, and takes a step forward. He says, "I've got the file on my laptop, I'll show you."

And together, they walk off in search for evidence.

* * *

Later, after she has talked everything over with Inspector Megure and Kudo Yuusaku, Aoko leans back against a seat. Information reels in the back of her head, the entire situation blurred as if an elaborate daydream.

Instead, she's left to consider everything that's happening.

She's been told that most of the group stay in the apartments on the second floor, as it makes it takes pressure off of the teenagers to get home later at night. Of course, Kudo Yuusaku had said, it didn't mean that Aoko was required to move in, although she was free to room with the other girls - Ran and Kazuha.

 _(Yuusaku had also mentioned that they had the largest apartment, compared to the other smaller rooms that the boys were stuck in. Apparently the boys were more territorial, and the four of them were spread across three other rooms.)_

Aoko pauses, wonders where she will fall on that point. She's not sure. It'd make sense to move into the apartment, with her father constantly at work, it isn't like there's much waiting at home for her. Just a lonely room - but if she has roommates, then maybe her evenings won't be as lonely anymore. It's a big decision though, and Aoko decides that she wants to talk it over with her father before accepting.

Schooling isn't difficult either - she'll still attend Ekoda high, alongside Saguru, and case work shouldn't affect her education. There are some circumstances however, that do change - on some cases, they'll be allowed time off of school, especially if it requires travelling, provided that they stay up to date with school work and score well during mid-terms.

It doesn't really explain why Kaito doesn't attend Ekoda anymore, or why Heiji and Kazuha, a pair of Osakans, are living in Tokyo. The only way to know that, she supposes, is to ask. Not now - but eventually.

And finally - Kaito.

The evidence that Shinichi had showed her was… incriminating. The case file, his fingerprints, photographic proof. All tangible, all _valid._ She almost doesn't know how to react.

She doesn't know how to feel.

"Aoko…?"

Aoko doesn't respond.

"Kudo told me that you were in here," Kaito says, and his footsteps echo in the silence. It purposeful, he's usually so light-footed, quiet when he moves - he's letting her know he's coming in, not sneaking up on her. "I thought I'd show you my newest card trick. It's amazing and you're going to love it."

"Will Aoko?" She asks, glancing over her shoulder. Her stomach settles from the churning from before, when she glances at him, and maybe she doesn't know whether she's more disappointed or sad, but strangely… she doesn't feel angry. It's as if all of the fire has been doused with water, and fighting about a decision he made years ago doesn't seem worth it. "Come show Aoko."

Kaito flashes her a smile, although it wavers as they sit down.

As he shows her the trick, his mask slowly slips. She smiles as he shows her the card she'd picked, and lets out a gasp as she leans forward and takes it away, searching it for any signs of tampering. It's probably strange, not to trust Kaito's cards, to anyone except them. But when they'd been ten, Kaito had urged her to check the cards, so that after she found nothing, he could insist it was because of _magic._

They'd been so innocent back then, Aoko thinks, passing the card back.

 _Kaito_ had been innocent.

"Show me another," Aoko instructs, and Kaito does. Several card tricks later, she notices the odd expression he's wearing - almost brooding. "What is it?"

Kaito pauses. Picks up his cards, and shuffles them. He's staring more at spades and hearts than at her, and his shoulders stiffen as he asks, "you know, don't you?"

For a master of disguise, it almost seems as if he's bad at keeping his emotions in check. But Aoko thinks that it's because he doesn't want to hide it, wants to give her this small truth now that she's had the rest of the puzzle click into place.

She pulls out another card from his deck when he quits shuffling, glances at it, and places the two of spades back into the pack. "Yes."

Kaito shuffles his deck, and it's not loud when he speaks, but she can hear a distinct, "I'm sorry."

And Aoko is certain she knows why - because KID's return had taken all of her father's time, had stolen her best friend away. She wants to be angry, wants to whack him with a mop until he knows how angry KID makes her, but it really doesn't seem worth it.

"Aoko is okay." She says, even though she has to blink tears away. Luckily, none of them fall. Kaito would tease her about it in any other situation, and even though she's upset, she doesn't want him to feel overly guilty either. "She's just going to need a while to understand."

He passes her back her card, grimaces. "I didn't want you to find out this way."

Aoko gives him a self-deprecating grin, "you probably didn't want me to find out at all."

"You're right," Kaito says, and he places the deck of cards down. "I didn't."

"Aoko will figure it out," she says, "just like she will help figure out cases with Kaito and everyone else."

Kaito sighs.

"Kudo-san told Aoko about what Kaito does to help out. Kaito's not here to solve the cases, but to listen to the interrogation tapes to see if people are lying. He reads people and their tells, and makes sure the group gets the truth given to them…" Aoko pauses, looks up at gives as wide a smile as she can - it's small, hardly more than a grimace, but it is something, at least.

"After all, as KID, Kaito knows all about people. He can spot a liar anywhere, because he's such a good one himself."

* * *

 _The author very much so enjoys comments._


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for the reviews/follows/favourites!_

 _Sorry for the delay in updating! But I'm not able to continue working on this AU again! Hope you enjoy, you guys!_

* * *

The switch between strange occurrence and daily life happens gradually.

It doesn't take long for Aoko to learn the structure of the group, but it does take time to adapt.

It's simple to learn the fundamentals of what they're aiming to do as a group – help the police with old cases that aren't high priority. They take a look and solve the puzzles left behind by criminals, mostly with assault cases and other _'minor'_ crimes.

Learning about the group dynamics however… is more of a strain. It feels like she's studying for some sort of exam, trying to figure out each member and who's closer to who. Shinichi, she realises from day one, is the leader – unelected but with unanimous support from the others. It takes longer to realise that Kaito is seen as an outsider.

It shouldn't be so shocking to realise; He's operated on the other side of the law to them, and now… Aoko doesn't think any of them are consciously excluding him, but they do. The realisation hits her quickly, almost like a stab to the gut. She feels herself bleeding out every time she sees Kaito, watching him from the corner of her eye.

He's always been social, and just by remembering how he'd been in school, she knows that it affects him more than he lets on. Or maybe it doesn't… Aoko isn't sure she knows Kaito all that well any more. All she knows is that the group view him as KID rather than Kaito.

There's so much she doesn't understand, and yet, there are so few explanations that Aoko can feel herself drowning, struggling to find some sort of clue. Every time she gets an answer, it feels much more like a question is resting on her tongue, confusing her further.

The hours she gets at school practically feel like a holiday. It's the only time she can fall back into a full routine of knowing how everything works, gaining some sort of structure. Maybe she shouldn't be complaining, maybe she should just be glad to have found Kaito and to have made new… _Friends? Teammates…?_

Aoko slaps at her cheeks, feels blood rushing to them as a result.

"Are you okay, Aoko-chan?"

She tears her eyes from the bento that she's been eating, and glances up at Keiko. It's almost embarrassing how out of it she feels, unable to focus on her friend and caught up in her thoughts instead. She almost wants to explain everything about Kaito, but Aoko knows that she can't toy with Kaito's identity so easily.

"Aoko's just distracted," she says after a moment, deciding that she'll just have to omit the more secret elements. She's always had a confidant in Keiko, and she doesn't feel prepared to let that relationship falter because of something she's only just learnt now.

"Is everything okay?"

"Aoko saw Kaito a week ago," she says, and feels like a weight has been lifted almost immediately. Keiko knows _her_ Kaito, will be able to empathise better than Shinichi and his detectives. "In fact, I've seen him a few times since then."

Keiko leans forward, squints, and says, "how do you feel about that?"

It's not something Aoko's really spent much time thinking about. With the sudden urge to pack some belongings to live alongside the other's, and the information she's had piled on her in an attempt to give her some more understanding about forensics, she's not had much time to deal with her own emotions.

Now that she has time to muse on it though… she doesn't know how to respond.

"Aoko…" She falters, pinches one of her cheeks. "I don't… I felt sad and angry when I first saw him, but… I don't know Keiko, I feel like maybe I feel like I should apologise?"

Keiko raises an eyebrow, offers Aoko a sip of her drink, before swallowing some rice. "Why do _you_ feel like you need to apologise? You've done nothing wrong."

"Kaito… didn't have a choice in going away," Aoko says after a moment, gathering herself, "but I'd spent months being angry over it. I guess I feel like I should apologise because of how I'd thought of him during that time…"

Keiko falls flat, she'd been angry too, back when Kaito had first disappeared. She'd never said anything about him, not in the way others in their class had, when the rumour mill had started to turn, whisking truth away and replacing it with falsehoods. But Aoko had known regardless, known that Keiko was angry too.

"Did he have a choice in telling you?" Keiko asks after a moment, pushes the rim of her glasses up her nose with two fingers. "…But don't feel guilty about your own emotions, Aoko-chan. You never openly acted on those thoughts, so there's nothing to apologise for."

Still, Aoko doesn't know how she wants to react to that.

* * *

Shinichi is waiting outside of the school when classes finish for the day.

Aoko isn't even certain why he's there – shouldn't he be at school himself? - but she tells Keiko to go on without her and says she'll talk to her later. Her other friends leave without her two, as she meets Shinichi at the side of the gate, where he's leaning back.

"Shinichi-kun," she says, standing in front of him, "what're you doing here?"

He glances up from where he's been reading on his phone, and offers her a sheepish look. It doesn't look entirely guilty, but it is hesitant, and he pauses before responding.

"I have a case," he says, and after another pause, "a current case that I've been asked to consult on. I was hoping you'd be my back up."

Aoko stiffens slightly – all of the newspaper articles she's read about Shinichi have said he solves murders only, and personally, she doesn't know if she's capable of working on a _live_ murder case – before hugging her arms around her waist.

"Wouldn't Saguru-kun be better on a case?" She asks, biting into her lip. "Aoko's still learning the basics of forensics right now. She won't be a big help."

Shinichi scratches at the back of his neck, glances away for a second before shaking his head. Then, he says, "the forensics team don't really answer my questions. They kind of disapprove of teenagers working cases… The others are good at deductions and seeing through the lies, but we can't really… do the forensic side that well."

Aoko bites her tongue from telling him that _she_ can't really do the science side either. But – well, there are some questions that she wants Shinichi to answer, about Kaito and group as a whole. If she goes with him to the case, then, afterwards shouldn't he feel obligated to answer at least some..?

"I… I'm not that good yet," Aoko says, pulling on the strap of her bag, "but I'll try."

The smile she receives is nothing short of relieved.

"Let's go then," Shinichi says, "this case isn't going to solve itself."

* * *

They catch the train from Ekoda to Shibuya, the lines busy as they switch during the school rush. Aoko's not used to the busy rush, doesn't spend much time on trains, but she the crowd doesn't bother her much.

They're quiet on the train, purely because trying to speak to one another amongst the rustle of conversation in the train car is impossible. It's difficult to hear one another without shouting – the common fault with crowds – and Aoko doubts either of them should shout about a murder case.

It's not until they're outside of the station that Shinichi offers an insight about the crime scene they're heading towards.

"The victim's Takamaki Rin," Shinichi says as they leave the station behind, heading towards a cluster of love hotels. "She was killed within the 3 hours she'd rented a room at a love hotel, her body left in the bathtub. Drowned, apparently."

Aoko suppresses a shudder, asks herself whether she can cope with seeing a murdered woman, and steels herself. She's committed to this now, so she supposes she has to. Still, it doesn't mean walking inside the crime scene will be easy.

"They don't have cameras?"

Shinichi shakes his head, "only in the lobby. It's convenient for the murderer, I guess. But a pain for us."

Aoko crosses her arms, keeps walking. She bounces questions from Shinichi – even though she's not solving the case, she does at least want to know what to look for – and tries to learn more about Takamaki's murder. Except, well, Shinichi doesn't know much either.

"You'll be okay," he says when they reach the hotel, "if it becomes too much for you then we'll leave. So, don't feel afraid to say you're done for today, if you need to."

It's a kind sentiment, Aoko thinks, but she knows that it's kind of empty. If she leaves, then surely Shinichi will think she's unreliable. And… And she won't be able to find out who killed Takamaki – At this point, she wants to know the truth.

Aoko wants to know the truth about a lot of things.

"Don't worry," she says, "Aoko will be fine."

There's a part of her though, who isn't so sure. It's a finicky, almost panicked feeling welling up inside of her as she questions whether she'll truly be fine, or whether she's going to mess up. She takes a moment to imagine Keiko offering some encouragement, the way she does whenever Aoko gets too nervous to try something out.

 _Okay,_ Aoko thinks, _I'm ready._

* * *

The police give them badges to wear as they step onto the scene. The word _consultant_ hang from both Aoko and Shinichi's necks in lanyards as they step under crime scene tape and make their way into the room rented to Takamaki.

Contrary to her initial thought, that Shinichi would head straight into the bathroom to see the murder, Aoko follows him as he makes his way towards a cluster of detectives. There are four – more than she'd thought would be present at a murder. Aoko had thought that there would be a larger forensics to detectives ratio, but outside of the bathroom that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Inspector Megure," Shinichi says, dragging Aoko's attention from watching one of the forensics team dust down a door knob for fingerprints. "You called me."

The Inspector turns at Shinichi's voice, offering him a sharp nod. The same man that Aoko had seen talking with her father when she'd talked to Shinichi about the handkerchief. His moustache reminds Aoko of the shrubbery that grows at the end of her garden - the connection is almost soothing.

Odd, considering the fact that Aoko _knows_ there's a dead body in the bathroom.

"Kudo-kun, and… Is that Nakamori-san?" The inspector rubs at his chin, seemingly in thought. "I didn't think you would come to a murder scene so soon, Nakamori-san."

Aoko offers him an awkward smile, not entirely certain whether smiling in a situation like this is inappropriate or something necessary not to let the darkness of people's depraved actions weigh on them.

"I want to be useful as quickly as possible," Aoko says, trying to seem serious. It feels almost wrong, dropping the illiesm, but maybe… maybe for the duration of cases… within the group, shouldn't she? If she's going to be seen as reliable, then shouldn't she quite acting like a child?

"I asked for her help," Shinichi says, as way of explanation, "so Aoko-san's going to help me with forensics work."

Megure nods, as if it isn't a big deal – maybe it isn't. Maybe Aoko is the only one who thinks being asked to help solve a crime, despite being told that their group shouldn't be consulted on current cases, is weird.

"You know the rules by now," the inspector says to Shinichi, stepping away from his group of detectives. "You'll tell Nakamori-san them as well, won't you?"

Shinichi nods.

"Good," Megure says, "I'm needed at the station, if you figure anything out, give your deductions to Detectives Takagi or Sato, understood?"

"Y-yes." Aoko says, nodding beside Shinichi.

"Are you ready?" Shinichi asks after a moment, leading her in the direction of more police tape, towards the bathroom. "We've got a murder to solve."

Aoko bites her lip, gulps down air, and steels herself. She nods her head, "I can do this."

* * *

 _The author very much so enjoys comments._


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you for the reviews/follows/favourites! I hope you enjoy the update!_

 _Summary: Aoko helps Shinichi in her very first case._

* * *

Aoko has to blink away fear as she walks into the bathroom.

She doesn't make a sound as she steps inside, gaze drawn to the corpse with morbid curiosity, but her shoulders do stiffen. Her head feels light as she makes her way towards the bathtub – still filled with water, _why haven't the police drained it?_ \- where she kneels beside Shinichi, glancing at the body.

A drowning. She's not sure she knows how to deal with that.

She'd need a lab if she was going to check for elements in the water, although Aoko doubts that it would bring any results any way. Why dilute a drug into water, if it'd be more efficient to drug the victim herself. The water then, she thinks, will hold no clues that will help Shinichi.

Maybe she should look at the obvious then, the drowned woman. Takamaki Rin.

Aoko supposes that the woman would have been pretty when she'd been alive. She looks more like a ghost from an old folk tale now, long black hair curling at the base of her spine – longer than Aoko's seen on many adults, almost like a model from a painting. Her hair spans out around her neck, and her face, making it difficult to see her.

They've moved the body though, from where it must have been left floating in the tub, and it's not pleasant, but it's a lot better than it would have been if Aoko had discovered the corpse at it's… worst…?

The body looks… not normal, per se, but as if it doesn't hold any clues either. Seeing as she isn't supposed to touch it, Aoko can only guess at what she can see and-

"Here," Shinichi says, and he passes her a pair of gloves. They're later, and as soon as they're on, she feels revulsion rise up her throat, something she quickly swallows down with a shudder. "Now we can search properly."

He lifts the hair from around Takamaki's face, glances at her face.

Aoko can't look.

She focuses on Takamaki's hands instead. They're pale, more so than the rest of her body – although it's not a strange thing to see. Since it's getting warmer now, the sun peeking out more often, people have taken to putting sunscreen on more and more. And well, Takamaki must be part of the group that uses a low factor, but places entirely too much on her hands.

Nothing strange there, although it does give Aoko the impression that she enjoyed being outside a lot.

What else… Nothing on her palm, and she's got no fake nails so it's impossible to see if one has been ripped off. Her nails _are_ long though, and Aoko tries to ignore the squirming of her stomach as she picks up the woman's hand. The limb is heavy, limp, against her grasp, and Aoko tries not to think that it's only that way because it's _dead._

Instead, she bites her lip, and moves closer to the nails, glancing at the slight gap between the nail and the skin beneath. There's nothing in most except – except there. Something that's not quite dirt, but isn't skin either. Aoko can't see too closely, but if she could get it out…

"Shinichi-kun," Aoko says, gaining his attention. He'd been glancing at Takamaki's neck – at the bruising that's there. "We need to get something from her nails… who do we…?"

Shinichi doesn't offer an answer, but he does stand. After telling Aoko to stay where she is – he leaves her alone with the body. Once again, Aoko shudders, dread wrapping around her spine like a serpent, poisoning her with anxiety.

She glances at Takamaki's neck – if she'd drowned, there wouldn't be bruising there, right? It's more than likely a result of strangulation. But with what? The shower head rests in the water, which could be her answer, but something about it doesn't sit right with her.

Mainly, because the bruise isn't just a bruise.

Aoko places Takamaki's hand down, leans forward to place a finger on the victim's neck – she runs her lines against the woman's neck, nodding her head at the feeling. Slight bumps, caused not by the PVC shower cord, but instead, from fabric.

Friction burn – back when Kaito had started using different fabrics for magic tricks, he'd burnt himself a lot that way. Adding that to the time they'd both gotten friction burns when they'd been kids, hiding in pillow cases and going down carpeted staircases as if they were on a ride…

She's certain that must be it.

"Here," Shinichi says. Aoko turns, and he's holding a small evidence bag, along with a pair of tweezers. There's an officer behind them – female, almost stern- who seems to be keeping watch of the evidence bag. "That's Detective Sato, she needs to watch if either of us want to put something into evidence."

The words, _'because we're minors',_ goes unsaid, but Aoko hears it anyway.

She nods, asks Shinichi to keep hold of the evidence bag as she takes the tweezers, picking up the hand again, gripping the substance from beneath Takamaki's finger nails. There's some under three of ten fingernails, and once Aoko's gotten each out, she places the tweezers down, reaching forward to look at the evidence bag.

Shinichi's brow furrows as she moves forward to look at it.

It's fabric, she's sure of it.

"Detective Sato," Shinichi says then, and he glances over at the woman, "can we hear the accounts from each of the suspects?"

The detective nods, and they're led out of the room, into one adjacent. They're introduced to each of the three suspects, although Aoko doesn't try to remember their names. Instead of listening to their testimonies, like Kudo does, she looks at each of the suspects.

Two men, one woman.

She disregards one of the men immediately – he's got longer hair, something he's tied back with a bandanna. It's a dark green though, something that doesn't match the colour of the fabric in the evidence bag.

The other two suspects both wear scarves. A dark brown, that would be a comforting colour if it hadn't been used to kill someone. Aoko doesn't even know why they're wearing scarves when it's so warm out _anyway,_ although squinting her eyes shows that the fabric isn't a warm one, it's silky instead, more for fashion than anything else.

Aoko moves nearer to the two suspects – not overly near, but close enough that she can see the ends of the scarf without squinting too heavily – and bites her lip. The woman's scarf is older, more frayed than the man's, although it doesn't leave her with any open suspicions. Mainly, because Aoko is certain the fabric is different.

"Excuse me," Aoko says after a moment, interrupting Shinichi's line of questioning. She supposes she should be sorry for getting in his way, but she isn't. "You're scarf… it looks wonderful, where did you get it?"

The woman glances at Aoko, offers her a strained smile. Aoko isn't good at reading people – not when it comes to seeing who's guilty and who isn't – but something in the stressed way she holds herself. Aoko really thinks she… no, it's probably for the best not to make assumptions beforehand.

"It's from a small boutique in Chiyoda," the woman responds, "I'll… I don't remember the name of the shop, but it's… I can write down the street name after this." Then, she pauses, "why are you kids at a crime scene anyway?"

Aoko decides to ignore the question and continues on with her questions about the fabric. "Is it silk?"

A shake of the head, "no… it's tencel. But I always put it in with fabric softener so… I'm sorry, is this important to the case?"

Aoko takes a step back, thinks things over to herself. Then, she turns to Shinichi, who's raised his eyebrow at her, as if surveying her every movement. Quite honestly, Aoko thinks he's solved it – but so far he hasn't offered any great insights she'd thought the _Heisei Holmes_ would.

"No," Aoko says, "sorry. Shinichi-kun, a word?"

She waits until Shinichi bows out of his own conversation, nervously tapping her foot, until he joins her in the corner. He looks a mixture of amused and irritated, something Aoko thinks isn't so much because of her, but mainly about him being dragged, even momentarily, from his own deductions.

"Aoko-san?" Shinichi asks.

"She's wearing a tencel scarf." She receives a confused expression. "The fabric under Takamaki-san's fingernails wasn't tencel. It was… I don't know fully what it was, but it _wasn't_ tencel, I know that much."

Shinichi narrows his eyes. He says, "that would mean that Wakamatsu is the murderer. I thought the same too. But, how do you know the fabric wasn't… tencel?"

Aoko bites her lip. She's not sure who Wakamatsu is, although she supposes that he's probably the man wearing the scarf. Glancing back down at the evidence bag – she really should pass it to someone, but for now it's rooted firmly in her grasp.

"You see here?" She asks, and points at the biggest fibre that had been found beneath Takamaki's nails. "The fibres clump together, they don't fan out. They're not… wispy? Tencel fibre does."

Shinichi hums, nods under his breath. "I guess that's some definitive evidence then, to back up my claim that Wakamatsu is the murderer."

He nods again, readies himself for the reveal, before making his way over to Sato. And then, he reveals the entire ploy.

* * *

"You did good," Shinichi says, as they're catching the train back to their… what should Aoko call it… HQ sounds childish, but it's also fun. "Actually, you did a lot better than I thought you would."

"Thanks," Aoko responds, and maybe her tone is a little dry, but she'd not quite anticipated being dragged along to a murder case when she'd readied herself for school that morning. Her body feels unexpectedly heavy as she remembers the vicious way Shinichi had laid the facts down, cutting through Wakamatsu's alibi and placing him at the scene of the murder.

"No seriously," Shinichi continues, "it's not easy doing something like this. It's… draining."

This, Aoko can agree with. It's definitely not something she thinks she'll ever find herself volunteering to do, but… she'll continue it if it means spending time with Kaito. Maybe she could find a way for the both of them to get out from this, because spending time amongst dead bodies is…

"It is," Aoko confirms, "but at least we helped catch a murderer."

Well… Shinichi had caught him. Aoko had helped piece together some evidence that could prove Shinichi's claims when he'd set them forward. Watching Shinichi declare that Takamaki had been strangled in the bedroom, with his scarf, before being placed in the bathtub to make it look like she'd been drowned – well, it had been haunting.

And how he'd managed to get Wakamatsu to confess within minutes, dropping the fact that the fabric beneath Takamaki's fingernails came from his scarf as an aftermath, had been nothing short of cruel. If anything, it had made Aoko think that maybe…

Shinichi knows a lot about the human psyche, she decides. He knows how to build people up, and he knows how to knock them down. And maybe he's only done it with criminals, and maybe he hasn't, but Aoko doesn't know how to feel about it either way.

She doesn't know whether she should be wary or not.

"Exactly," Shinichi says, turning to glance out of the train's window. "Although, there always seems to be more."

It's saddening to say, but it's true. And it sends a shiver down Aoko's spine.

Purely because that means this partnership has only begun.

* * *

 _The author very much so enjoys comments._


	5. Chapter 5

_Summary:_ In which, Aoko officially begins learning about the forensics side of a case.

 _Notes:_ It's been a while. I apologise so much for taking over a year to continue. But arc 2 is plotted out fully, so it won't take me as long this time! Please enjoy the beginning to arc 2 - _C through 11._

* * *

After seeing a corpse for the first time, Aoko quickly decides that there's only two options she can move between.

The first: She moves forward and pretends it doesn't bother her at all. She tries to forget the pale skin, the waxy feel to it. The way Takamaki's hand had been cold, the way the top of her hand had seemed white, but the bottom of her hand bruised, because that was where the blood had pooled around her.

Which is a difficult task itself. Aoko doesn't know if it's possible, but repression is a natural instinct to traumatising situations and it's… maybe it's not a good option, but it is an option.

The second option: She lets herself mourn a woman she doesn't know. She lets herself become vulnerable for enough time to move past the fact that this has happened.

There's not really a decision to be made, really.

Aoko keeps herself in one piece until she's back in her new apartment, the area she shares with two girls she's barely spoken a word too. She bids Shinichi goodbye when he says he's going to hang out with everyone else, and nods quietly when he says that he's there to talk, should she want to.

Then, Aoko heads upstairs.

Makes herself a cup of sencha tea, and cries.

She doesn't wipe away her tears, lets them fall. It's admirable, she thinks, her ability to just feel, to let herself and she's not ashamed of it. She thinks of Takamaki's body, thinks of the way she'd been killed and lets herself mourn that.

Time cut short and for little reason at all. There'd been no reason behind it, except a grudge and she's angry at that, rightly so, but there's nothing that can change what has happened.

Aoko is glad, too, to have been able to solve the murder with Shinichi, even if she'd only been offering the puzzle pieces.

"Poor Takamaki-san," Aoko mumbles under her breath when she's got her tears under control. She grabs her phone, grabs a blanket, and sits staring at the small television at the edge of the room. It's halfway through a soap opera but Aoko's barely been paying attention to it.

She prefers anime shows more than soaps anyway.

Unlocking her phone, she presses one on speed dial, and listens to the sound of her father's voice when she's sent to voice mail. It's enough to calm her, as he tells her to leave a message after the tone, and it helps her feel a little calmer.

"Hey, it's Aoko," she starts, because she knows he'll only worry more if he doesn't have a voice mail after receiving a phone call from her. "Just wanted to hear your voice a bit. I looked at one of those old case files today and the pictures… shocked me, I suppose."

She hasn't picked back up the illeism. Maybe it's… it… it seems a little bit silly after all she's seen. Aoko feels like maybe she needs to be more serious.

"I'm not saying I want to give up," Aoko continues, and she finds that she means it. She doesn't exactly feel fired up, like it's her calling to solve cases and fight the crimes that have been left for them to solve. "I think it just shocked me how someone could be that cruel."

She's going to keep going. Not because she's interested in the crimes, or in making sure that the criminal sees justice.

But because she wants to remember Takamaki, and other people like her.

Because she thinks maybe the detectives want to look into the murderer more than into the victim, and she doesn't want to overlook that.

"Anyway," she continues, nodding her head in silent confirmation of her thoughts, "I'll call back another night and we'll pick a night to catch up. Please don't overwork yourself. Love you."

She doesn't get the chance to say goodbye. There's only so long she can speak on answerphone before the dial tone echoes a second time, indicating that she's run out of time.

Aoko closes her phone and takes a moment to simply breathe.

Then, she picks herself up, washes her face and readies herself to go down to the group – because she has homework and it's English, and if she's going to live in the same complex as Hakuba then, he's going to be a welcome resource in translating her work.

* * *

"I'm not saying that you're wrong," Hakuba says, in that way that says that Aoko is, in fact, wrong but that he doesn't want to be rude, "but that phrase is more colloquial than I think our teacher is expecting."

Okay, so maybe Aoko isn't the best at English. She's not perfect.

Still, she does think that this phrase could work, and she's already written it on her answer sheet. Her answer sheet which is so neat, for what feels like the first time in her life. She doesn't want to start crossing things out.

"I'm sure it works," Aoko says, biting into her lip. She waves her pen, pointing it towards him. "The phrasing is completely fine."

Hakuba's face scrunches up in a way that shows that he very much so disagrees. Aoko supposes that maybe she should cross the answer out and rewrite it but…

She sighs. Fine.

As she's scrawling out the new answer, Hakuba leans closer and says, "are you alright, Aoko-san?"

Aoko startles at the question. She's not expecting it, maybe because she thought that she was alright now, was calmer and more focused than her previous misery before she'd let herself cry.

"I–" Aoko pauses, tries to think things over. There's no reason to lie, she knows that, but she also doesn't want to overshare. "Well, I've been better. But, I'm okay, yeah."

Hakuba keeps his gaze fixed on her, as if waiting for a 'but', for some sort of explanation. Maybe that detective stuff works on suspects and other people, but Aoko isn't about to give in to the silent interrogation.

"Why?" She says instead, meeting his own silent questioning, with her own verbal one.

The good thing about Hakuba is that he's not the type to obfuscate, to leave her without an answer. If Aoko asks him an answer, he will answer it, whether she likes his answer or not. He's always been like that.

"Well," he starts, frowning, "you dropped your illeism and you're speaking more formally, so I…"

Aoko pauses. The changing of her language to exclude third person addressing of herself hadn't even crossed her mind as being a cause for concern. Of course, Hakuba who sits with her every day in class, and has for the past year, would pick up on the change within seconds.

She shrugs her shoulders, and says, "I think I need to be a little more serious with how I address people, right? If I'm doing this."

Cutesy speech, talking in the third person isn't exactly appropriate, Aoko thinks. And it's really not that difficult not to fall into that way of speaking – if anything, it had been harder to remember to speak in the third person.

Hakuba's expression shifts. It's not pity, no, and it's not exactly sadness but there is something there. As if he's watching someone lose something.

"You don't need to change because of this," Hakuba says. "It's easy to think that you should, but you can find a way to figure things out while remaining who you are."

"I've been thinking about stopping the illeism for a while now," Aoko lies, because it's easier than explaining everything she's decided today. "this has just sped up the process, that's all."

He doesn't look like he believes her.

But Hakuba isn't the type to call her out on something, not if it's not crime related, so he says nothing. Aoko moves onto the next question of her homework, shifts the conversation and offers a smile that doesn't feel exactly comfortable on her face.

She's fine.

Or maybe, she's not fine, but she knows that's alright. And she's working on it. She wonders how many of the other people in this building have come to the same conclusion.

* * *

On Thursday, Aoko goes straight from school to the station. Shinichi meets her there, and she follows behind him as he promises to lead her somewhere that might be more interesting that a crime scene.

He follows through on the promise.

"There's not much you can do looking at case files," Shinichi explains as he leads her down a corridor, leading her down some stairs to the basement levels. She shivers as the cold meets her, "so I talked Megure into setting something up, so you can learn more about forensics."

Well, alright then. Aoko supposes that makes sense. She's not here to interpret the meanings of various clues, just to explain what the clue actually is.

"So, I'm what, going to a forensics lab?"

"Exactly," Shinichi says, as they come to a stop in front of what can only be an office. His knuckles rap against the door, several short bursts and then, he leans back, waits.

Aoko raises an eyebrow, and since she can't exactly do anything but wait, decides that maybe she should raise a question she's been thinking about for the past two days.

"That murder," she says, and he turns to look at her. His lips tighten, as if he's uncertain whether her question will be a difficult one to respond to. "You were testing me with it."

From the way he hesitates, Aoko knows that she's right.

"That's kind of… messed up," Aoko continues, watching him. She shakes her head, not sure whether she's disappointed or not. "That you would use someone's death to see whether I would handle being in this… programme."

Brows threaded together, Shinichi leans forward. He takes a second, decided on what he wants to say and then: "It wasn't the only reason, I really did need your forensics skills. But… I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. It was inappropriate. Even if you handled it well."

Aoko crosses her arms. Since she's grown up best friends with quite possibly, the most infuriating boy alive, she knows that she won't remain bothered for long. In fact, now that she's received an apology, she's already partially forgiven him.

"It's okay," Aoko says. "Even if I'm pretty sure I was told we were only supposed to look into cold cases?"

"There are… exceptions," Shinichi says, "sometimes."

Aoko is about to ask what those exceptions are – it'd be nice to know, really – but then the door opens, and she's robbed of any questions she might be able to ask him.

The woman who opens the door is tall, although that's mostly through the use of high heels, not through natural means. She stands about two inches taller than Shinichi, and she stares down between the two of them. Stern.

"Tadamori-san?" Shinichi says, sounding as if he's never been intimidated in his life. Not even by this woman with wire-rimmed glasses falling down the rim of her nose. "Inspector Megure said you two spoke on the phone?"

Her gaze moves between the two of them, and then, she says, "you must be Kudo-kun. And this is Nakamori-chan?"

Aoko offers a small nod. She would say hello, but she's afraid she'd only squeak the words out, unable to form coherent words. The woman is intimidating… no… Aoko is intimidated by her.

"Right," Tadamori says, "I'll be stealing your forensic girl then, Kudo-kun. You can run along."

Shinichi turns back to Aoko and looks almost like he's about to say something else, but the forensic scientist shoos him away. He turns the corridor, and as soon as he's gone, Tadamori offers a wry smile, beckoning Aoko inside.

The door closes, Aoko feels like she's doomed to be terrified forever.

She takes a moment to think this over, how she's gotten to this point. Somehow, the detectives are less terrifying than the forensics team and she's – she's –

"Oh, what're you looking so terrified for?" Tadamori says, leaning forwards and letting out a small laugh. She moves forward so quickly that Aoko can see the rustling of the white lab coat she's wearing flutter around her. She grabs hold of Aoko's wrist, pulling her further into the room.

There's three ways Aoko can go about this. Lie and say she's not terrified at all. Lie and say she's terrified of forensics because she doesn't really know that much. Or tell the truth and say that this woman is kind of… terrifying.

"Well," Aoko says, and swallows, "I find you intimidating."

It's probably the best response, because Aoko receives a loud laugh, as if she's caught the woman off guard.

"Oh no," Tadamori says, and offers a wink. "I'm not intimidating at all. Not to the people who work in the lab – only to those detectives outside. You're not a detective, are you, Nakamori-chan?"

"I'm not."

She receives a smile in response. Tadamori looks significantly less terrifying when she's smiling, and Aoko feels her shoulders relax at the expression. It's calming.

"Well then, grab one of those lab coats on the hook and we'll start with a tour of the lab." She pauses, as if considering the possibility that Aoko doesn't actually know what's going on. "Did your detective explain this situation we've set up for you?"

Aoko shakes her head.

"Detectives," Tadamori tuts, "they're so narrow-minded sometimes. I should have expected this. Where do I start… oh! My name, of course – Tadamori Mizuki. I'm one of the forensic scientists here. We're not normally this… empty but a lot of us are out collecting the evidence. I'm one of the lurkers."

Lurking, as in remaining at the station, Aoko assumes. It makes sense, she'll be around to analyse any of the substances that are brought to her, will ensure there's always someone in the lab whenever the detectives come knocking.

"Nice to meet you," Aoko says, quiet. "Please take care of me."

"I'll do my best," Tadamori says, and then, waves towards the lab coats again, urging Aoko to take one. Aoko does, albeit with a soft laugh in her throat. There's one that has pink accents – it's adorable, and Aoko loves it – and she grabs it, holding it up as if to ask permission.

Tadamori nods her head, and Aoko puts her hands through the sleeves, pulling the coat on.

"Let's get started," Tadamori says. "We're going to look at everything in the lab, and then, we're gonna sit down and talk about what parts I can teach you."

* * *

Shortly after her tour is finished, Aoko is sat down in the main room of the lab. About six tables have been pushed together to create a u-shaped space for all of the forensic scientists to input data and go over simple evidence, and Aoko pulls up a chair.

Tadamori – although she insists on being called Mizuki – sits Aoko down and tells her she's going to prepare something really quickly for a small test.

"Just going over the basics," Mizuki says, as she heads towards one of the cabinets, pulling out a plastic bag. Inside, there's a boot, something that she brings over and places on the table between the two of them.

"I…" Aoko blinks, "It's a boot?"

"A gold star to you," the woman says, grabbing a pair of gloves and pulling them over her hands. She nudges the box of gloves to Aoko too, waits until Aoko's wearing her own pair before opening the evidence bag. "It's not just a boot, it's evidence."

"Right," Aoko says. "But I'm not wrong by saying it's a boot."

Mizuki raises an eyebrow as if to say, now you're just being smarmy, which, to be fair, she kind of is. Aoko concedes and waits for the scientist to explain what they're doing, staring at a boot.

"This is a piece of evidence we've recently gone over. I'll take it down to evidence before I leave tonight. Until then, we've got this baby to play around with. So, we'll see what you can find on it."

Aoko raises an eyebrow. She says, "using… current evidence? Is that a good idea?"

"How else will you learn?"

Well, there's very little that Aoko can do to argue. She leans forward, looks at the material of the boot and tries to decide which material it's made from. Since she's wearing gloves, she doesn't hesitate in picking it up, pressing against the toe. It's harder than rubber, and Aoko nods her head.

"It's leather," she says, which means that the boot is more expensive. They're newer too, and she notes that down, before lifting the boot up and looking at the sole. The type of shoe doesn't mean anything, really – it's what remains on it that matters.

And on the sole, between groves that offer more traction, there is where the evidence lies. Specks of mud, dust, all sorts. Aoko looks up at Mizuki and says, "a pH test on the soil?"

Mizuki offers a smile. She says, "We did one. The soil was acidic."

Aoko considers this. Then, squinting at the bottom of the boot, she tries to figure out the colour of the dirt. It's hard to see against the black of the boot. There's not enough present for her to confirm a colour.

"Under the microscope?" Aoko says, and Mizuki confirms that they'd done this too. The colour had been faintly red. It's not the colour of dirt in Tokyo, suggesting the boots owner is from somewhere else. "Not from Tokyo then? Is it our job to figure out where, or does that go to the detectives?"

"Us," Mizuki answers. "Have you got any ideas?"

"Somewhere south to us," Aoko decides. "I think I've heard that red soils are found in warmer climates, so maybe one of the southern islands?"

A smile. And a nod, "We linked the deficiency of nitrogen and humus in the soil to that found in the Ryukyu islands. Sure enough, the pool of suspects will be centred around those who travel frequently or have visited from the islands."

That's so far away, Aoko thinks to herself. If the criminal heads off to any of those islands, then the police won't be able to catch them. She doesn't like that, finds herself cringing at the thought.

"Anything else?" Mizuki asks, and Aoko blinks looking at the boot, trying to figure out what else can be found from the object. They can try to match boot prints found at any scenes with this one, but that observation only receives a raised eyebrow and a question of 'what if there aren't footprints?'

Aoko doesn't know what else to consider. There's nothing else that shouts out to her. She says as such.

The scientist across from her only looks mildly disappointed. She takes the boot from Aoko and points to the inside.

"There's all kinds of DNA inside of here," Mizuki says, and Aoko's lips widen into a 'o', because of course, it's obvious, she'd just not been considering it. "There could pet hairs, dust, skin cells. All sorts."

She turns the boot over, points at the grips, at the areas where the shoe is more worn.

"And if you look here, you can see which areas of the sole are more used. It helps create an understanding for how the owner walks."

Aoko nods. Looking at it now, the front of the boot is scuffed, worn down more than the rest of the shoe. She bites her lip, "What does it mean?"

"Try walking yourself that way," Mizuki says, and Aoko pushes away from the desk, focuses on walking, scuffing the front of her shoes. It includes barely lifting her feet up, as if they're extremely heavy.

"Oh," Aoko suggests after a moment, "exhaustion? Or a limp?"

A nod. "The detectives are out looking for someone with ties to the Ryukyu Islands who walks with a limp."

And all that from a single boot.

It's amazing, Aoko thinks, how a forensic scientist can take things that seem menial and analyse them. It's… amazing. Admirable. Aoko can admit that this lab, doing things here is more interesting than having it in front of her at a murder site.

"There's a lot you'll get to learn," Mizuki says, and she tilts her head, waits for Aoko to sit back down. "And we'll do it all here, in the lab. Tests, cold cases, as much as I can teach possible. But I don't want you out in the field."

Aoko, who's both steeled to remember people's memories, but also doesn't want to see another dead body, cannot escape her relief. She breathes it out, glad, ready to say thank you, when Mizuki raises an eyebrow.

"You're not disappointed?"

"I think," Aoko starts, trying to find the correct words, the ways to say she doesn't want to have to repeat Takamaki's crime scene without admitting as such, "that a stable foundation is always more important to secure first. Before the crime scenes."

She waits – waits for Mizuki to claim that she's an imposter, that she's not in this entire programme for a 'suitable' reason. Which seems odd, because which sane person would want to be out analysing dead bodies? Why wouldn't she have worries about it..?

"Well," Mizuki says instead, her shoulders relaxing as she leans back. "I'm glad you agree with me – Inspector Megure told me over the phone that his detectives thus far have always been stubborn, and that I shouldn't be surprised if you followed suit."

For the record, Aoko would let it be known that she's not a detective. She says as much and receives a smile in response.

"A little more reasonable, huh?" Mizuki says, shaking her head. Her lips tug up. "That's good."

Aoko offers a small nod.

"Well, Nakamori-chan," the woman continues, "I'll start sorting a box of old cases you could look over evidence from, a little cold case box, if you will. Until then, I think we're done for the day."

Glancing at the time shows that after a tour and Mizuki's short quiz, it's already reaching seven p.m. And Aoko has homework to get through. Still, she can't help but be a little disappointed.

Mizuki re-bags the boot, seals the evidence bag and stretches. Her shoulders crick, a wince blooming across her face.

"I'm gonna bring this back down to evidence," she says. A short pause and then, she adds, "Want to tag along, see all the potential evidence?"

Aoko kind of wants to see all the crazy things that can make their way to the evidence lockers. And… And maybe she wants to see the physical evidence that Kaito is KID, one day. Knowing where to go would be a good beginning.

"Sure." Aoko grins. "Let's go."

* * *

 _The author really appreciates comments._


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